Look inside the ballast for a blown fuse and replace it with an intact fuse. Check the ballast output with a voltage tester. Turn on the lamp and touch the ends of the tester leads to the lamp electrodes with the bulb in place, then remove the bulb and make the same test.

How can you tell if a metal halide bulb is bad?

Usually the lamps will gain a pinkish hue when compared to other lamps in the same system. This is caused when metal vapors in the lamp are expired from heat or burning, and the lack of a particular mixture in the arc tube renders a different color.

How long do metal halide bulbs take to turn on?

Metal halide (MH) lamps do not achieve their full light output immediately after starting. Rather, they require a period of time-1 to 15 minutes-to reach 90% of their full light output.

How long does a metal halide bulb last?

Metal Halide lights have an better lifespan relative to old technology like incandescent lights but they have a short lifespan compared to LED. Typical lifespan values range from 6,000 hours to 15,000 hours before a bulb requires replacement.

Does a metal halide bulb need a ballast?

Metal halide (MH) ballasts are required to start the lamp, regulate the lamp starting and lamp operating currents, and provide appropriate sustaining supply voltage. … MH lamp voltage typically increases over time, and the ballast must continue to provide sufficient voltage to the lamp as it ages.

How do you troubleshoot a metal halide fixture?

Check to see if the lamp is loose in the socket or if the base is distorted so that the lamp will not seat properly. Check socket for loose contacts, poor connections, or broken wiring. High pressure sodium and low-wattage metal halide lamps require a starter that provides a high-voltage pulse to start the lamp.

How do you test a metal halide bulb with a multimeter?

Look inside the ballast for a blown fuse and replace it with an intact fuse. Check the ballast output with a voltage tester. Turn on the lamp and touch the ends of the tester leads to the lamp electrodes with the bulb in place, then remove the bulb and make the same test.

Can you touch metal halide bulb?

The oils and etc on your hands can get on the bulb. This can cause etching and hot spots on the bulb that can cause issues. f you do touch it just wipe the bulb down with some rubbing alcohol on a napkin or paper towel or something…. I have heard this when talking about HALOGEN bulbs, for the reason stated above.

Can metal halide bulbs be replaced with LED?

LED Offers Long Life, Lower Energy Costs, Instant On and Control Options. … A 400 watt metal halide bulb can be replaced with a 200 watt LED. A 100 watt metal halide can be replaced with a 50 watt LED. Implementing an LED replacement program should result in a 50% reduction in annual energy use (kWh) costs.

What are the signs of a bad ballast?

• Buzzing. If you hear a strange sound coming from your bulbs or light fixture, like a buzzing or humming noise, that’s often a sign your ballast is going. …
• Dimming or flickering. …
• No lights at all. …
• Changing colors. …
• Swollen casing. …
• Burn marks. …
• Water damage. …
• Leaking oil.

Article first time published on

How does a metal halide bulb work?

To put it simply, metal halide technology works by passing an electrical arc through a mix of gasses, creating light. … When the lamp is inactive, the mercury and metal halide salts are condensed inside the inner arc tube. Metal halide lighting features two electrodes –– one on each end of the inner arc tube.

Why do metal halide bulbs explode?

Metal halide (MH) lamps can explode (typically referred to as sudden nonpassive failure) because they operate at high pressures, but some products are manufactured with safety features to prevent injury. … Some MH lamps are self-extinguishing-they will automatically extinguish if the outer envelope is broken.

What's the difference between mercury vapor and metal halide?

Mercury Vapor (MV) lamps are most frequently used outside for parking and security lighting. … Metal Halide (MH) lamps provide the best color rendering of all HID lamps; color rendition is almost as full spectrum incandescents.

How do I know if my HPS ballast is bad?

Touch the red lead to one of the low voltage feed wires and the black lead to the neutral wire on the transformer. The meter should read between five ohms to 15 ohms. Any higher or lower reading and the ballast is bad.

How often should you change metal halide bulbs?

MH (Metal Halide) bulbs need to be replaced every 8 months on a 18 hour on 6 hour off cycle. MH bulbs lose 40% output in a year, so you lose around 40% yield. Problems like the light going on & off with power outages make the life of the bulb even shorter.

Is metal arc the same as metal halide?

Compared to standard metal halide lamps, METALARC PULSE START lamps reach 90 percent of full light output 30 percent faster and have a 60 percent shorter hot restrike time. METALARC PULSE START lamps may be combined with SYLVANIA HID ballasts to form a complete system.

What voltage does a metal halide ballast put out?

Most metal halide ballasts operate on 120-277V. These are called 4-tap ballasts and they operate 120/208/240/277V. You will also see 120-480V ballast, which is called a 5-tap ballast.

How do you test a metal halide capacitor?

The proper test procedure is as follows: – Disconnect the Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium or Pulse Start capacitor from the circuit and discharge it by shorting the terminals or wires together. – If the meter indicates a very low resistance then gradually increases, the capacitor does not require replacement.

Why does my high pressure sodium light go on and off?

When it nears end of life, as in the case of your lamp, reactions with the lamp’s alumina (synthetic sapphire, really) shell have depleted much of the sodium from the lamp, raising the voltage required to maintain the discharge to a point where when the lamp is fully hot, the ballast can no longer provide that voltage, …

Can I use a lower wattage metal halide bulb?

Quartz is used in traditional metal halide lamps. Quartz tubes are perfectly acceptable for lower wattage MH bulbs that don’t need to be operated at high temperatures.

Are metal halide bulbs being phased out?

Given metal halide is a declining technology under strong direct competition by solid-state lighting, a significant number of products may have been discontinued. In other cases, luminaires may have been redesigned for a different ballast and then retested. … Check with the luminaire manufacturer about availability.

What is the difference between multi vapor and metal halide?

There is no difference between metal halide and multi vapor lamps because both names describe the same form of lamp. Metal halide or multi vapor lamps are a form of the light source that creates light via passing an electric arc through a gaseous mixture of mercury vapor and vapor of some metal halides.

Can you grow with metal halide?

Metal Halide (MH) lamps typically emit a white colored light. Traditionally Metal Halide lamps have been used by indoor growers during the vegetative stage of plant growth. They are ideal for growing plants up to the flowering and fruit production stages because they mimic the spring/early summer seasonal sun.

Can you touch a mercury vapor bulb?

Breathing mercury vapors in air is the most common way to be exposed to elemental mercury, and is the most harmful to your health. … If you touch mercury for a short period of time a small amount may pass through your skin, but not enough to harm you.

How do you know if it's the bulb or ballast?

One probe of the multimeter should touch the hot wire connections, while the other touches the neutral wire connections. If the ballast is good, an analog multimeter has a needle that will sweep to the right across the measuring scale. If the ballast is bad, then the needle won’t move.

How do you test a UV light with a multimeter?

1. Set your multimeter: Begin by turning the dial on your multimeter to the “ohms” setting.
2. Test your multimeter: Touch the two probes of your multimeter together. …
3. Connect the pins: The multimeter will have two small test probes, which you can touch to the light bulb to get a reading.

Will a bad ballast burn out bulbs?

The ballast itself can go bad, which causes lights to flicker or even appear to be burnt out, when in fact they aren’t. They require maintenance and energy to power, on top of the power used to light the fluorescent bulb. They are a large part of the equation when using fluorescent lamps.

How hot do metal halide bulbs get?

When fully lit, the Metal Halide lamp will reach a temperature of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and operates at a vapour pressure between 70 and 90 pounds per square inch.

What's better HPS or metal halide?

HPS is about twice as electrically efficient as metal halide. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is what really matters to plant growth, and delivery of usable PAR is better with HPS than metal halide. … Metal halides deliver, on average, about 80,000-110,000 lumens per standard 1,000-watt bulb.

Which rod is used in metal halide lamp?

The lamp has a optimum combination of metal halides made of rare earth metals. It has a quartz discharge tube with rod-shaped electrodes made of tungsten and a power supply of high voltage DC.

What is the difference between halogen and metal halide?

The key difference between halogen and metal halide is that a halogen is a group 17 chemical element, whereas metal halide is a compound containing a metal and a halogen. Metal halides are ionic or covalent compounds of halogens.